In a Nutshell

The Fine Print

Promotional value expires Oct 27, 2013. Amount paid never expires.Limit 6 per person. Limit 1 per person per visit. Subject to availability and weather. Outings scheduled on a first come basis; call ahead and check schedule. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.

Schooner "Fame"

Contrary to popular belief, boats are actually much safer than cars, which inexplicably sink every time you drive them on water. Take a proper water road ride with this Groupon.

$18 for a Sailing Outing for One on the Schooner Fame (Up to $30 Value)

Modeled after its eponymous ancestor, which sailed in the War of 1812, the schooner Fame cruises up and down the coast and harbor around Salem three times a day, seven days a week in the summer as passengers slog down beers ($5 onboard) throughout their trip. Public sails depart from Pickering Wharf in downtown Salem at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday only until June 29, and seven days a week from June 30 until September 2. Check the schedule for more info.

Prices vary by age.

Schooner "Fame"

Captain William Webb bellowed to his crewmen, "Ready cannons, bring her to starboard!" as they rounded on the English ship Concord. He wasn't born a soldier, but the English had press-ganged some of his closest friends into slavery on their warships, stolen his family's livelihood, and set his home of Salem, Massachusetts, on the path to financial ruin. Like many other merchants, fishermen, and ship owners, Webb and his crew outfitted whatever boats they could find to fight the English during the War of 1812, and the 70-foot Fame was no exception. The original Fame went on 11 more journeys before being wrecked in 1814 and now lives on as a luxurious home for the retired actors of The Little Mermaid.

The Fame seen around Salem today is a modern representation of that heroic ship. It was constructed from oak using the traditional methods of the early 19th century. Passengers on the ship's daily public sails relive the experience of navigating the Atlantic in an traditional, wooden, gaff-rigged schooner. The boat also plays host to weeklong camps, during which kids learn how to sail, tie essential knots, and read charts and maps before camping out for an evening of dumping tea in the ocean.